Rowan Kavner
PHOENIX – It started with J.J. Redick.
The Clippers knew they’d be without their starting shooting guard, who left the previous game with back spasms, but the absences only continued from there.
Prior to tip-off Thursday night in Phoenix, the Clippers announced Chris Paul would also miss the game with a groin injury he’d played through previously. Before the end of the first half, the Clippers also lost Blake Griffin to an ejection after he was whistled for a second technical foul.
The call was made after Griffin disagreed with the referees’ no-call as he went up for a shot. His absence led to a 9-1 run from Phoenix to close the half, and it was all downhill from there for the Clippers, who vehemently disagreed with the ejection.
“The play before, (Eric Bledsoe) takes his mouthpiece out and throws it and yells,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “It’s a tough one.”
Rivers was just as unhappy about the way the Clippers played after the loss of Griffin. The Suns continued to pour on points in bunches without any answers from the Clippers, who allowed 118 points on back-to-back nights.
“We’ve just got to keep playing,” Rivers said. “Can’t feel sorry for yourselves. I was disappointed, because I thought we could still win the game.”
The Clippers started Austin Rivers and Pablo Prigioni in the backcourt with Paul and Redick out. It bothered Austin Rivers to see what the Suns’ backcourt did, with Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight scoring a combined 64 points.
“Even when guys are out, we should have a deep enough team, we should have won,” Austin Rivers said. “We had bad spirit tonight. Me personally, I just feel like it was an opportunity squandered. Chris out, chance to step in, lead, and we didn’t do that. I didn’t do that. So, it’s disappointing for myself and for everybody. We’ve got a bad taste in our mouth right now.”
Doc Rivers hopes to have Griffin back Saturday against the Pistons, but it doesn’t appear he’ll have his starting backcourt for that matchup or the next one, as much as Rivers said Paul will want to play.
“My thinking right now is him and J.J. will be out both games,” he said. “Someone’s going to have to do a heck of a convincing job to change that.”
Paul missed the Clippers’ game against Houston after injuring his groin late against Golden State. He returned to play against Memphis and Dallas, but Doc Rivers said he didn’t like the way Paul was moving.
“I just thought it was time,” Doc Rivers said. “I looked at the schedule and I made the call. It may not be a great call for him or our team, but I think it’s the right thing to do for him.”
It’s been a tough go of things early for Paul, who fractured his finger in the preseason, strained his groin in the regular season and got hit in the eye the game after he returned.
“The finger definitely bothers him, the groin obviously bothers him, getting poked in the eye is no fun,” Doc Rivers said. “So he’s just not had a lot of fun so far with injuries to start the season. I guess you’d rather have it now. But it hurts us, because when he’s not great, then we’re not as good, obviously with his talent. But we just have to be patient with it.”
It’s now a waiting game for Paul and for Redick, who’s dealt with back spasms in the past. Doc Rivers quipped that these back spasms might be “a cousin” to the old ones.
“You know how backs are,” he said. “Once you have a back, you have a back. I don’t know if it’s actually related, but I just think a back is a back and once you have them, you’re going to have back problems every once in a while.”
